The present invention relates to aquarium and/or pond filter devices and methods of using such devices.
Aquariums have long been popular for keeping and displaying fish, both fresh and saltwater varieties. However, the recreation of freshwater or saltwater environments in the self-contained systems of home aquariums has presented considerable difficulties. Initially a good water source must be obtained for the start of the aquarium. Additionally, there""s the task of maintaining the water quality and dealing with waste materials either i) excreted by the aquatic specimens, ii) formed by the natural decomposition by bacteria of plant, animal tissues and food, or iii) resulting from foreign contamination of the aquarium environment. This task becomes even more important with saltwater environments, which must maintain many delicate balances including pH and salinity.
It is generally understood that in maintaining the health and vitality of the animals confined to an aquarium, provision must be made for continuous filtration and recirculation of the aquarium water. A number of differently configured aquarium filter systems have been devised in an attempt to meet this need. One such system is the external aquarium filter in which a filter housing is located outside the aquarium tank and positioned such that the aquarium water is drawn up from the aquarium and into the filter by means of external tubes or tubular extensions.
A typical external filter system consists of an electrically powered pump, intake and return lines or tubes, a filter housing containing and a filter medium such as activated charcoal overlaid with one or more layers of synthetic filter material. As water is siphoned out of the aquarium tank via an inlet tube, it moves through the filter housing inlet chamber into the central housing chamber where it passes through the filter medium into the housing outlet chamber and is pumped back into the aquarium via the return line.
Although the external filter device is generally adequate for providing mechanical filtration, external aquarium filter systems are usually large and bulky. Additionally, the presence of such additional components as intake and return lines (or tubing) tends to create bulkiness and increases the risk of clogging and/or mechanical breakdown.
Another type of aquarium filter system presently in use is the undergravel aquarium filter, specifically designed for placement within the aquarium tank. This type of system is comprised of inlet and outlet tubes, a pumping device, a means for aerating the aquarium water, and a filter housing composed of inlet and outlet chambers where the outlet chamber contains a filter medium such as activated charcoal. Water from the aquarium is pumped through the inlet tube to outlet chamber through and exits to the aquarium tank via the outlet tube.
One problem inherent in the undergravel aquarium filter concerns its size. Since such a system is dimensionally configured so as to be unobtrusive when placed within the aquarium tank, its filter housing is relatively small. Therefore, the volume of filter material contained within the housing is generally not sufficient to provide adequate mechanical filtration. Another problem with this type of system concerns the location of the filter. Because the filter is positioned underwater within the aquarium tank, the filter housing must be physically separated from the system and removed from the aquarium tank to accomplish cleaning of the filter; a procedure which disturbs the aquarium environment and interrupts the entire filtering process.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide aquarium filters which are small enough in size and number of components so as not to be xe2x80x9clarge and bulkyxe2x80x9d, yet still provide convenience of handling and adequate mechanical filtration capacity. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide filtration devices which avoid the aforementioned problems.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide relatively small sized filtration devices for use in a variety of different sized aquariums.
Still another aspect of the present invention is to provide tubeless filtration devices.
Yet another aspect of the present invention is to provide tubeless filtration devices which reduce or eliminate premature overflow of the mechanical filter chamber and/or filtration device housing.
These and other aspects will become readily apparent from the detailed description which follows.
The present invention relates to tubeless filter devices, comprising:
a) a mechanical filtration chamber, preferably in the form of a cylindrical or substantially cylindrical container having a latitudinal cross-section of curvilinear shape, containing at least one mechanical filter for filtering water, the mechanical filtration chamber having a spillway through which filtered water exits the mechanical filtration chamber back to, for example, an aquarium;
b) a water flow pump mechanism having inflow port and an outflow port in fluid flow communication with the mechanical filtration chamber for drawing contaminated water from a reservoir, such as an aquarium, through the inflow port so as to pump the water into the mechanical filtration chamber through the outflow port; and
c) optionally, a positioning mechanism adjustably attached to the housing for positioning the filter apparatus on or at the surface of the aquarium water such that the water pump mechanism can receive aquarium water without the need for tubes or tubular extensions.
The present invention further relates to methods of filtering aquarium or pond water by using the filtration devices described herein.
The term xe2x80x9ctubes or tubular extensionsxe2x80x9d, as used herein, refers to tubes or tubular components used as external connections or attachments for transporting water to or from filtration devices, more specifically aquarium filtration devices, and preferably tubes or tubular extensions which are at least 1 inch, more preferably at least 0.5 inches in length.